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bq is a project developed to cure the world of its chronic unfunkiness. The only antidote is a concentrated dose of raw unfiltered Funk, and bq is a Funk delivery system designed to tear the roof off of your mind and put your groove back on the One. The project features Brian Quinn on bass, Gabe Wallace on drums, Ben Hoffmann on keys, Alec Lehrman on guitar, Lucas Ellman on Tenor sax, and TK on alto sax. Together, this collection of Funkaholics will turn your earholes inside out and bring about the refunkification of our nation.

Musician, poet, and songwriter Cole DeGenova has spent most of his life crafting his eclectic artistic voice. Born in Chicago and growing up in a family of musicians and artists, DeGenova began playing piano at age four and spent his childhood studying classical piano, the jazz and blues of his hometown, and the pop music of The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and D’Angelo. By age 15 he was playing professionally in jazz and blues clubs on Chicago’s South Side. His prodigious talents led him to study at Berklee College of Music in 2005 where he trained further with jazz piano great Danilo Perez. After forming his funky alternative soul group Cole DeGenova & The Peoples Republic with fellow Berklee students, they released their first album JUST PEOPLE AGAIN in 2009. Three years later, and after thousands of miles of road covered, his second album, ANOTHER COUNTRY, is here this summer 2012; an inspired culmination of lessons learned on the road, soulful melodies, and the infectious grooves of his band. A troubadour in the truest sense, Cole DeGenova has performed alongside or opened for the likes of Lupe Fiasco, Tower of Power, Saul Williams, Kurt Elling, Patricia Barber, Meshell N’degeocello, Snarky Puppy, Paula Cole, J Davey, and rapper the GZA.

In November of 2012, Robert Dicke began hosting a weekly jam session at The Tonic Room in Chicago. The house band began as a rotating cast but very quickly found it’s core members— guitarist Jared Rabin, bassist Dan Kristan, keyboardist Carl Kennedy, and of course Robert Dicke behind the drums— the Calamity Flamtet was born. The sound of the band is the ever elusive fusion of Jazz, Funk, and Rock. There is a fine wave that the band attempts to ride by including elements from these genres, while maintaining the essence of each. By the time Dicke’s Jam Session came to a close at the end of 2014, the group had developed a cohesiveness that was undeniable and that would be unfair to keep from the general public. A decision was made to document this original music and give the band a chance to thrive in other clubs and musical circles. Dicke was able to obtain a grant from the Luminarts Cultural Foundation that made it possible for them to record nine of his original compositions. The debut album “Class” is a bit of a play on words. The Tonic Room is located just a half block from DePaul University School of Music, where the group met and where Dicke was completing his Masters Degree while running the jam session. The album will be released at the end of August and the saga will continue.